Backpacking New Zealand » Uncategorized

Winters on its way

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:53:19 +0000

looks like winter 2009 is on it’s way in – theres a little over 2 months left before the first fields open and the season gets underway.

If you are going to spend the 2009 Ski season in New Zealand, theres quite a large number of options for you. Most of the big Commercial fields are hiring assuming that you can get there late May / early June, everyones selling season passes for vastly different sums of money and of course you will need gear.

So thats the subject of some new articles and posts to come on this site.

First off, heres the major resorts and opening dates (depends on the weather gods), plus current season pass prices:

North Island

Mountain	Opens	Season Pass
Whakapapa / Turoa	20/06/2009	$385 until 30/04/2009

South Island

Mountain	Opens	Season Pass
Mt Hutt	13/06/2009	$879 until 05/06/2009
Cardrona	26/06/2009	$690 until 30/04/2009
Coronet Peak	06/06/2009	$999 until 05/06/2009
The Remarkables	20/06/2009	Uses Coronet pass
Treble Cone	27/06/2009	$1.5k until 15/05/2009
Ohau	28/06/2009	$499 until 30/04/2009

Both Islands / Combos

Mountain	Opens	Season Pass
Whakapapa / Turoa / Cardrona	Varies	$755 until 30/04/2009
Hutt / Remarks / Coronet	Varies	$1199 until 05/06/2009

The North Island passes are the best value by far – but many will want to stay in Queenstown / Wanaka. Treble Cone Priced itself out of the market today – leaving the Remarks / Coronet or Cardrona. Difficult choice – do your homework! It should be mentioned that Ohau is $85 as an add-on to and Hut / Remarks / Coronet pass, and if you get Cardrona you shoudl really pay the extra $65 and add Whaka / Turoa on – it’s less than the cost of a day pass and they are among the best slopes in the country.

Stay tuned for job news, resort info and more over the next couple of weeks. If you are already there, head north, get some sun and get ready .

Site Hacked

admin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:29:37 +0000

To anyone who visited in the last week: The links present on the front page of this site were not put there by me. I was running an out of date WordPress install and paid the price. Its now secured … Continue reading →

2 Weeks till Big Day Out 2008

admin — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 18:20:33 +0000

Back Home

mark — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 18:11:32 +0000

Alas, I am now back home after 12 months in New Zealand. In a nutshell, yes, you should go! Over the next couple of months I will be adding lots more content into this site – it was too busy when I was travelling. All the seasonal fruit work and viticulture is go go go at the moment, so head on out to Keri Keri, Hawkes Bay or Marlbourgh for immediate work.

Mark

Whoops

admin — Sat, 05 May 2007 07:44:08 +0000

In the process of traveling round New Zealand, I seem to have neglected this site badly. I arrived in New Zealand with my backpack 6 months ago and I have travelled most of the country – Northland, Auckland, down the North island via Taupo, Waitomo, Rotorua, round the East Cape with a month in Napier, then down to Wellington and over to the South Island – where I have been to Picton, Nelson, all the way down the West Coast, Wanaka and finally to where I live now – Queenstown. From here I have seen the south coast, Invercargill, Stewart Island and Dunedin.

Activity wise, theres been tramping in Tongariro, Queen Charlotte Sound, Abel Tasman and Stewart Island, Quad Biking, Rafting, Mountain Biking, Luging, Sandboarding and more. Soon the Ski Season starts down here.
Lots of stuff to write about then!

Queenstown is quiet, so I plan to do some writing on this site and try to make it what it should have been from the start.

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Magic Bus reduced fares for next 6 days

admin — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:43:56 +0000

Magic Bus have fares that look pretty good – but only for the next 6 days. They go up on Novemeber 1st as the new high season approaches.

Personally I am going to book the North and South trip – at $459 (~£160) to do the highlights of both islands it looks top value. I will probably then fly back to Auckland – fares are as low as $90 (~£35), which is cheap considering returning by bus would incur another ferry charge.

So my plan now is to kick back, relax and treat the first month as a holiday, see the sights and then decide on where to go back to, whether to buy a car etc etc.

See the special fares here

Big Day Out 2007

admin — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 08:09:40 +0000

The Big Day Out 2007 is to be held on 19th January 2007 at Aucklands Mount Smart Stadium. Tickets go on sale October 19th. Theres also 5 dates in Austrailia after the Auckland gig, so no need to miss anything if you are over there right now.
Acts listed so far include:

Tool
Muse
The Killers
Jet
Minuit
Shapeshifter
Violent Femmes
Peaches
My Chemical Romance
Spank Rock
Eskimo Joe
Evermore
Scribe
The Veils
The Tutts
The Mint Chicks
Opensouls

Visit the official website for the full run down.

28 Days To Go

admin — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 10:20:23 +0000

Well, I fly out to NZ in exactly 4 weeks. I am getting slightly more prepared than I was, I now have my Rucksack (Karrimor Global 70-90l, review to follow), and my flight info.

I am flying out with on the BUNAC group flight package – along with 27 other travellers. We Fly November 2nd, and hit Hong Kong on Novemeber 3rd at about 7am. Then its 2 nights in Hong Kong, with various tours and a meal orgainised. Finally, 17 of us (the others are of to OZ) are on an evening flight over to Auckland, leaving me in New Zealand on Novemeber 6th, probably with much jet lag.

I still need to pack, but some clotes and some other bits and bobs and sort out my travel Insurance – I have decided on World Nomads now. Oh and get a hotel booked at Heathrow – attempting to travel from here (Liverpoolish) to London is frought with oppotunities to be 6 hours late, so I am going down the day before.

Last chance for the Ski season

admin — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 10:40:20 +0000

Some of the Ski venues in New Zealand will be open to the end of October – such as Whakapapa and Turoa in the North Island are open until October 29th.

I get there just a little too late, so I will be waiting till the 2007 season, but if you are out there right now, why not head off for a couple of days in the snow before summer hits and its beach time?

Check out snow.co.nz for the full story.

30 Days To Go!

admin — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 14:38:38 +0000

I fly out to New Zealand on November 2nd – will be spending 2 nights in Hong Kong with a group of 27 other travellers – all going out on the BUNAC program. After that, 17 of us are off to Auckland, and the other 10 are Oz bound.

This site should see some more content adding to the guide as my departure gets closer, and guides to the various locations and activites will come as� I make my way around both Islands.